Mastering the Art of Chopsticks: A Journey into Japanese Culture and Dining Etiquette
- Binh Nguyen
- Dec 3, 2024
- 4 min read
I. Introduction
Before I met my wife, I had never known about the Japanese way of using chopsticks. I thought everyone used chopsticks the same as the Vietnamese. I never questioned how I use chopsticks, assuming it was correct. The correct way is to grab the chopstick, hold it tight, and take food as quickly as you wish. But When I saw my wife use chopsticks, I realized that skillfulness through daily practice (there's a gap of different levels using chopsticks between my wife and me). So, what is the correct way for Japanese people to use chopsticks?
II. Japanese Chopstick Usage
Here's a simpler way to explain how to use chopsticks:
Hold the chopsticks: Grab one chopstick with your thumb and index finger. Rest it against the base of your ring finger. Hold the second chopstick like a pencil, using your thumb, index, and middle fingers.
Move the chopsticks: Keep the bottom chopstick still. Move the top chopstick up and down to pinch the food.
how to use chopsticks
Remember:
Practice makes perfect! The more you practice, the better you'll get.
Start with easy foods like noodles or rice.
Don't worry if it's difficult at first. Keep trying!
III. Cultural Observations and Children’s Utensil Use
From that turning point, I started to observe the people around me and their daily use of chopsticks. I discovered that Vietnamese people have diverse styles of holding chopsticks, each using them as they wish, without a standard form. In contrast, the Japanese adhere to a single standard for using chopsticks, making it a mandatory practice.
When I was a kid, my mom always gave me a spoon. It was easy for me to have meals without dropping out of food. I used chopsticks often when I entered 4-5 grade of primary school (recall memory). But some of my friends could be quicker to adapt chopsticks for daily use (depending on each family).
In Japan, kindergarten kids can choose to use spoons or chopsticks, but almost all kindergarteners prefer spoons for kids because they are easy to use for finishing meals. Kids from 4 years old start to use chopsticks as the default lunch set tools. At home, my son started practicing chopsticks at 3 years old. The unique chopsticks with two rings can fit in his fingers. After he got used to holding chopsticks, we changed them to another kid-designed chopstick to increase the challenge. He has been using chopsticks for one year and can now use regular chopsticks to eat comfortably.
One more thing more important is that the Japanese encourage kids to have meals by themselves, not by forcing eating. They let kids enjoy a meal by hand (early stage), then use a fork to chop the food, next is a spoon, and then the final challenge is chopsticks. It could be a process of improvement by practicing naturally.
In contrast, Vietnamese parents often worry that their children might not eat enough, skip meals, or leave food uneaten, which is not acceptable in our culture. As a result, parents typically feed their children with a spoon until they finish their meal. I was in a similar situation due to my slow eating habits; my mom often followed me with a bowl and spoon to ensure I finished my meal. This approach might be acceptable for Vietnamese children, but it's not the norm in Japanese culture.
Nowadays, young parents might change their approach by educating kids to have and complete meals right at the dining table in a suitable manner, without watching TVs or smartphones, even without toys during meals. However, the stories might be different if they pass the kids to their grandparents for supporting childcare, and it could be the same story I shared with you above about my childhood.
IV. Resources and Dining Etiquette
After checking many sources and videos on YouTube, I found this video very useful, with complete information about how to use chopsticks, including Japanese table manners. Going through the video and then starting to practice daily, you will level up the chopsticks' skill. Here is the video link: click here
To add more views of table manners, the essential meal for Japanese people might be dinner when family members have leisure time to enjoy big meals and have conversations to recap a long day. Japanese always have dinner with a hot rice bowl, miso or dashi soup, main courses, and salad or vegetable mixed. Here are some notes for you to take:
Japanese people always use dishes, one person with one or even two dishes, to put food in and enjoy meals. Unlike the Vietnamese, they do not put food directly in the rice bowl. They take small portions for a bite. Once they eat, they take one more and refill the dishes.
To grab food from dishes for their use, they use separate chopsticks, not their own, as a hygiene standard. In Vietnam, our family members can use their chopsticks to pick foods, which is a different point.
Japanese people enjoy soup by drinking it alone side by side with rice. But in Vietnam, we pour the soup into a rice bowl and enjoy it. The point here is that Vietnamese soups often have a strong taste, so using fish sauce and salt as the base and mixing them with rice makes sense. However, soup in Japan has a light flavor, such as miso or dashi, which is better to drink without mixing it with rice. I try to mix one time, but it is not a reasonable eating manner, so I need to follow the Japanese style.
Once you eat rice, make sure you finish it all in your mouth before you add more, as in the Japanese manner. You could not feed it to your mouth 2-3 times continuously; it might be okay for Vietnamese, but it is not lovely in Japanese eyes.
V. Conclusion
I hope this information gives you more insight into table manners and boosts your confidence whenever you have a chance to have meals with your Japanese friends. If you find my writing helpful, please vote me claps/likes. Please leave your comments on this blog for further discussion, and follow me for more interesting topics related to Japan.
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